Support and drain tile



Dec. 28, 1965 P. A. ZAUCHA SUPPORT AND DRAIN TILE Filed Aug. 5, 1963 INVENTOR. Pele! Zaucho.

HTTORNEYS United States Patent 3,225,546 SUPPORT AND DRAIN TILE Peter A. Zaucha, 5144 Baxman Road, Bay City, Mich. Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 299,998 2 Claims. (Cl. 61-13) This invention relates to concrete blocks for use as a foundation and support for drain lines used in drainage systems for conducting effiuent water from conventional septic tanks to a drain bed or area desired.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a one-piece supporting block adapted to be disposed in a trench in a continuous line to accommodate drain tile or the like for conveying the effluent water from a septic tank to a drain area and provide cored passages in the end walls of the blocks to permit free joint leakage and eliminate clogging, etc., which occurs when said joint is located over one of the end walls of the block.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very simple, practical, and relatively uniform concrete block construction which can be mass produced, and which can be laid end to end to form a continuous support for drain lines of the necessary overall length to convey waste water, etc. to a desired drain bed or area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a concrete block formed with a central, longitudinally disposed passage in the upper face thereof, extending from end to end of said block, the end walls being formed with arcuate depressed faces, which together with the opposed edges of said top wall, will accommodate and nest drain tile thereon in end to end relation for conducting liquid Wastes to the place desired.

A still further object is to provide a relatively inexpensive concrete block which can be used over and over in the event it is necessary to remove certain drain lines and then re-use the same blocks to install other lines or accommodate change in direction of the drain, or for any other purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims; it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportion and minor details of construction, without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one of my pre-cast blocks with a tile in place thereon;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one of the blocks;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevational View of a drain line and its supporting blocks; and

FIG. 6 is a part sectional view of a support block with drain tile laid thereon, the arrows indicating the escape path of the drainage.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention.

The numeral 8 indicates one of my support blocks, which is located on the outlet end of a septic tank (not shown). These blocks are laid in end to end relation in a suitable trench T and form a support for conventional tile or pipe sections 9, also laid in end to end relation for discharge into a suitable drainage bed (not shown) which receives the effluent from the septic tank.

The support block is quite similar to conventional building blocks presently in general use and is formed with side walls 10 connected by end walls 11 as usual, the upper face comprising opposed top sections 12 which 3,225,546 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 extend inwardly a limited distance from the side walls to form a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending open passage 14 extending from end to end of the block, the side edges 15 of said passage having curved faces which fit the curvature of the drain tile 9 which is laid thereon.

The upper face sections of the end walls 11 are arcuately formed as at 16 and have exactly the same radii as the curved side edges 15 of the top sections 12, thus f irming a continuous uniform bearing surface for the tr e.

The distance or width of the passage 14 is less than the external diameter of the drain tile, so that the tile will nest and have ample support when laid in position, and it will, of course, be obvious that the Width of the passage 14 is made to suit the diameter of the tile used.

A downwardly cored passage 18 is formed in the arcuately formed face of end wall 11, said passage opening at the lowest point in each arcuate face (see FIG. 6 of the drawing) and extends downwardly a predetermined distance to permit unobstructed flow of efiluent drainage water from any pipe joints located thereover.

When the tile is laid in position on the supports and the abutlng ends of two drain tiles rest on the arcuate face of an end wall 11, as clearly indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawing, the seepage freely flows to ground as clearly indicated by the arrows, but if no cored passage were provided in the end walls, the seepage at a joint disposed over an end wall as above described, would congeal and gradually clog and build up a wall or barrier from the solids carried in the water and in time cause clogging of the drain line at this point, and it would then be necessary to dig, exposed and clean the line at the point of clogging, and then backfill with the extra expense and labor incident thereto.

Shaping the opposed edges 15 of the top sections 12 and spacing them so that more than one half of the tile will be exposed, insures that the tile line will have a continuous support throughout its entire length on these edges 15 and end walls 11, and will also be maintained in axial alignment.

When installing the line the blocks 8 are first laid in place in the trench T in end to end relation with the end walls of adjacent blocks roughly in end to end contact, said line leading from the septic tank to the drainage bed (not shown), and the line is, of course, laid with the necessary pitch to insure proper flow.

The drain tiles 9 are then laid in place in the end walls and passages 11 and 12 in end to end relation to form a continuous passage from the septic tank to the drainage bed or area. After the drain tile 9 are placed in end to end abutting relation, each of the pipe joints is covered by a sheet of flexible paper or other material 19 to prevent cinders, crushed stone, sand, or fine dirt sifting between and into the tile, after which the line is properly covered by backfill as usual.

In operation, a portion of the overflow of eflluent water from the septic tank will seep through the cracks between the ends of the tile and drain down into the ground, as these blocks are completely open at the bottom, but where the adjacent ends of two tiles rest on one or more of the end walls, the seepage from the joint freely drips into the cored passages 18 and thence to ground, it does not congeal and gradually clog the line at this joint.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that I have prefected a very simple, practical and inexpensive concrete block for use as a support for drain lines and the like.

I claim:

1. In combination, a pre-cast block unit and a drain tile mounted thereon, said block comprising side, end, and top Walls, said block being open on the bottom and having a central longitudinally disposed seat from end to end in the top face thereof; arcuately shaped recesses formed on the upper surfaces of the end walls of the block and extending transversely from one side to the other of said seat to accommodate the drain tile therein, and downwardly extending, cored passages open to said arcuately shaped recess at the lowest point in said recess to form an outlet for seepage carried by said drain tile.

2. In combination, a hollow block and hollow drain tile mounted thereon, said block comprising, end and side walls, opposed top wall sections extending inwardly from the side walls, the space between the opposed edges of the top walls forming a central, longitudinally disposed seat extending from end to end of said block, the upper faces of the end Walls between said opposed edges being arcuately recessed to accommodate less than References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,464 10/1900 Blunt 61-10 966,069 8/1910 Austin 6113 968,225 8/1910 Ziller 6113 2,803,948 8/1957 Dorfman 6111 EARL I. WITMER, Primaly Examiner. 

2. IN COMBINATION, A HOLLOW BLOCK AND HOLLOW DRAIN TILE MOUNTED THEREON, SAID BLOCK COMPRISING, END AND SIDE WALLS, OPPOSED TOP WALL SECTIONS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE SIDE WALLS, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED EDGES OF THE TOP WALLS FORMING A CENTRAL, LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED SEAT EXTENDING FROM END TO END OF SAID BLOCK, THE UPPER FACES OF THE END WALLS BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED EDGES BEING ARCUATELY RECESSED TO ACCOMMODATE LESS THAN ONE HALF OF A DRAIN TILE LAID THEREIN, THE EDGES OF THE OPPOSED TOP WALL SECTIONS AND THE END WALLS DEFINING SAID SEATS, AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING, CORED PASSAGE OPEN TO THE FACE OF THE ARCUATELY RECESSED SURFACES OF THE END WALLS AT SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR LOWEST POINT TO PERMIT THE FREE DRAINAGE OF SEEPAGE FROM THE JOINT BETWEEN THE TILE CARRIED BY SAID BLOCK. 